Sugar-Free September Recap

It’s October, and that means it’s officially full on pumpkin season and the end of Sugar-Free September. Although I intended to celebrate with a Pumpkin Spice Latte, I had such a successful sugar-free experience that I’m planning to continue on with this low-sugar lifestyle.

I managed to avoid most added sugars, and definitely reduced my intake of those sneaky added sugars in products like cereal, bread, dressings and sauces. When I did indulge in some sugar, it was the obvious kind including desserts when I visited my friends in Ottawa, and at the wedding I went to this past weekend.

Looking back at the month, I ate added sugars only on 5 occasions, which is a huge accomplishment once you realize how many products have added sugars that many of us eat each day.

By avoiding added sugars during Sugar-Free September, I lost 5 pounds, fit back into my skinny jeans, and got through most of the month entirely craving free! Like last year, I definitely feel like abstaining from sugar has a big effect on my mood and energy. I found that I was having an easier time waking up, and hitting snooze less often. I also felt that I wasn’t experiencing many emotional ups and downs and felt consistently good all month despite quite a lot of stress at work and with the wedding.

I’m going to continue avoiding added sugars as much as possible. While I’m not aiming for 100% adherence, I’m going to continue checking labels at the grocery store, and avoiding products with added sugars. I think I’ll ease up on my Stevia ban though.

This year I mostly stuck to the basics and avoided products with added sugars without trying to find sugar-free substitutes. While a lot of products contain added sugars, fortunately plenty of foods don’t, so I didn’t struggle with finding foods to eat. It just meant that I avoided most packaged, processed foods and stuck to the good stuff: lots of healthy veg, fruit and protein.

For more on quitting sugar, check out these links from around the web:

Reading this makes me want to try going sugar-free so bad! It’s hard because I have to test desserts here and there, like this brownie recipe I’ve been working on recently. I’ve made them three times in the past month and still have two more trials to go! Halp! 😉

You already use a lot of honey and maple syrup and dates to sweeten desserts, so I’d love to see you come up with recipes that take it even further! Sweet potato brownies? Who knows?! Definitely isn’t easy though. I’ve mostly just avoided those sorts of desserts rather than developing substitutions. I’m trying to lose weight, so recipe testing wouldn’t help that! haha I bet you could commit to it for a month though..after you get through the brownie taste tests 🙂